Ebook: The Royal Air Force: a Centenary of Operations

Cover; Half-title; Title; Contents; Copyright; Foreword; Chapter 1: An Independent Service 1918-1922; Chapter 2: Policing the Empire 1923-1938; Chapter 3: Holding the Line 1939-1942; Chapter 4: The Road to Victory 1943-1945; Chapter 5: Last Days of Empire 1946-1959; Chapter 6: Cold War 1960-1974; Chapter 7: The Temperature Rises 1975-1989; Chapter 8: Return to the Middle East 1990-1998; Chapter 9: Operations Continue 1999-2008; Chapter 10: A Century of Operations 2009-2018; Index; Acknowledgements.;The world's first independent air force, the Royal Air Force celebrates its centenary in 2018. In the 100 years since the end of World War I, the service has been involved in almost continuous operations around the globe, giving the RAF the longest and most wide-ranging history of any air force in the world. But over the years this history has also become entangled with myths. The Royal Air Force: A Centenary of Operations will set the record straight, dispelling these as it uncovers - in both words and photographs - the true exploits and accomplishments of RAF personnel over the last 100 years. From its formation as an independent service in the dying days of World War I, its desperate fight against the Axis air forces in World War II, to its commitments during both the Cold War and modern times, this is the complete story of how the RAF has defended Britain for a century.